Shot NJ cop wakes from coma, gives info on suspects

The manhunt continues for the suspects involved in the shooting of Officer Gerald Veneziano

Star-Ledger

FAIRFIELD, N.J. — The police officer who was shot Saturday evening after stopping a suspicious vehicle just blocks from headquarters has emerged from a medically induced coma and is “in and out” of consciousness, acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino said tonight.

“He’s due to have additional surgery. We’re waiting until he becomes better and stronger” before getting more information from Officer Gerald Veneziano, Laurino said.

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Veneziano, 26, a three-year veteran of the department, remained in critical but stable condition tonight at University Hospital in Newark, said Charlotte Smith, Essex County executive assistant prosecutor. The officer was shot multiple times in the torso and chest.

Separately, a law enforcement source said earlier today that Veneziano is “participating in the investigation” and has been able to describe the vehicle he stopped just moments before he was shot. The source, who asked not to be named because he was not at liberty to publicly discuss the investigation, said Veneziano was able to write down that the suspects were driving a Dodge Nitro SUV, not the Dodge Magnum originally believed.